Canadiens at Sabres
The Montreal Canadiens are getting within range of matching the league record for consecutive wins to start the season and look to make it eight victories in a row when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. Although it appears to be a gimme on paper for the red-hot Canadiens, the Sabres won the final three meetings last season.
Montreal moved within three wins of tying Toronto (1993-94) and Buffalo (2006-07) for the best start in league history after blanking St. Louis 3-0 on Tuesday and handing the Blues only their second loss. "This is a well-coached, disciplined, play-the-game-the-right-way team," St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. "They're going to be a bear all year for everyone." While the Canadiens have won six of their seven games by at least two goals, the Sabres have been held to two tallies or fewer in five of their six contests. Buffalo kicked off a three-game homestand by beating Toronto 2-1 in a shootout Wednesday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, RDS, City (Montreal); MSG (Buffalo)
ABOUT THE CANADIENS (7-0-0): Reigning Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price has registered two shutouts in his last three games, but he'll get a night off as rookie Mike Condon makes his second career start Thursday. "I feel good physically and mentally. I'm ready to play against the Sabres," said Condon, who stopped 20 of 21 shots in a 3-1 victory over Ottawa on Oct. 11 in his NHL debut. The Canadiens have killed off 17 consecutive penalties in the past five games and are tied for second in the league with a 91.7 success rate.
ABOUT THE SABRES (2-4-0): Evander Kane notched his first goal by scoring the tying tally with 4 1/2 minutes to play to force overtime, part of a high-energy game in which he pumped seven shots on net. “We needed that,” said Jack Eichel, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft. “We’re trying to get over this hump. We’re having trouble scoring goals right now. I think it’s good for us to get a win like that. Maybe now we’ll get on a roll. I think this is a team that can do so.” Eichel has a team-high two goals but is still seeking his first assist.
OVERTIME
1. Captain Max Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec have five goals apiece for the Canadiens.
2. Buffalo has yielded five power-play goals in 16 short-handed situations.
3. Montreal is averaging a league-high 34.3 shots.